Refunds

We should be in Cairns today, after a couple of nights ago travelling by sleeper train from Brisbane, where we had booked a few days. Cairns seems to be unseasonably hot now, so perhaps that I cancelled the holiday when Ray died was wise. We wanted winter warmth but for various reasons, we could only work it out for this month when the weather is better here than mid winter and as it seems, a bit too warm in Cairns.

I had cancelled the accommodation, nothing paid in advance. The train company gave me an immediate refund for our train tickets, but when cancelling the flights, Melbourne to Brisbane, Cairns to Melbourne, I was only given a credit. 

I thought the flights cost about $600. A few weeks ago, I checked and it was nearly $1,000. At the moment, I don't want to fly anywhere and I can't imagine doing so in the near future. I'd like that money, thank you very much. 

Webjet warned to not try to deal with the airline, Virgin in this case, but with itself who we booked with. It requested a certified copy of Ray's death certificate and my ID. I provided that, and it seemed like a refund would happen. 

A refund was attempted, but as I had already told the company, Ray's, who had paid for the flights, bank accounts are closed. Webjet said they will work it out and urged me to not put my bank account details in an email. 

Webjet then wanted a certified copy of Ray's will, so I contacted the company who drew up his will for that. Three arrived promptly, I scanned one and emailed it to the return eddress. I think that was last Friday. The following Wednesday, while I had been at home most of the morning, as soon as I boarded a tram, a representative of Webjet called. With my debit card on the seat beside me, I read out the numbers. The credit went through, said the person. A confirmation email arrived. Two to three days to appear in your bank account. I'm still waiting but I've been thinking, that could have been an intercept of an email and the person I spoke to was not from Webjet, and perhaps the money will go into a scammers bank account. 

I really don't think this will happen but it has made think about how I freely gave out my bank account details to an unverified person over the phone. 

Anyway, good job by Webjet. 

PS The money is now in my bank account. Oddly it is marked as going in immediately but it didn't show on my banking app until today. Such transfers used to happen immediately but they have been deliberately slowed to prevent what I described above. 

The train trip looked interesting, which is why we chose it. The overnight trip included three meals and wine with your meal. It isn't a conventional sleeper train but I thought it would be a good taste to see how we went sleeping on a train. There is no privacy of course but once lights go out, does it matter and what are you going to do that needs privacy.  I thought the fare, I've forgotten how much, was quite reasonable. 

Friday Funny

Whatever political allegiance, how could anyone possibly vote for such an appalling person, now a felon to add to his disgraceful history.

1. I know about that disgrace.

2. I can imagine.

3. Don't know.

4. I can imagine.

5. I know a little.

6. Of course.

7. Yep.

8. Certainly not.

9. I don't know.

10. Yes, I know about that one. 

There is vulgarity in the clip. If you don't like vulgarity, you know what not to do. Of course by saying that, it only encourages people to watch.

I may be in a film

Daddy was a cop on the east side of Chicago.

Back in the USA, back in the bad old days.

Sorry about the photos. They could have been a lot better. 

There was a warning that if you were near these cars, you could be included in a film. I saw the camera swing directly in my direction and some excitement on the set. Ah, no, that is the back of the camera, not the front. Their loss. 

Public Holidays

I always have to take care when I type the word public. 

Someone on the www mentioned the number of public holidays Australia has, and he was wrong. I won't publicly shame him by naming him, especially as he is rarely wrong. I thought to check myself as I knew it was more than he suggested. The first site that came up when I searched was australia.com It too is wrong. It's not a government website. If it was, the url would end in .gov.au or .vic.gov.au 

In the list there there seemed to be one extra holiday I didn't know about and one left out. I am also not sure if it is true for Northern Territory that it has the national King's Birthday holiday and a local Queen's Birthday holiday on a different date. Perhaps this is Camilla's day in the sunshine. 

Yes, what I saw does give weight to the phrase, I read it on the internet, so it must be true. I went to a government website, and here is a list.

National:

New Year's Day, January 1st

Australia Day, January 26th (Invasion Day for some)

Labour Day (variable state to state), March in Victoria

Good Friday, March or April

The Saturday before Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

Easter Monday

Anzac Day (war commemorative), April 25th. That day will be long remembered by me.

King's Birthday (variable state to state), June in Victoria

Christmas Day

Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day)

In addition there are Victorian state holidays and other states and territories have their own:

The Australian Football League grand final match eve, September. What a joke, but which worker will knock back a public holiday or the extra pay for working? 

Melbourne Cup Day. Yes a public holiday for a horse race. This varies across the state, dependant on local event horse racing Cup Days. 

So in my State of Victoria, there are thirteen public holidays each year and most states are similar, give or take one. Eleven national public holidays, and two state public holidays. 

Tulip Tuesday

Yes, I do like blog post titles to be alliterative and best would be Magnolia Monday, but Monday Mural was already set up. Magnolia flowers are tulip shaped, so that is my excuse. 

Over many years I've shown the magnolia at the house next to the synagogue you can see in my header photo. In our earlier days here we didn't see it peeking out into our balcony view, but I do now. It has grown a bit in twenty two years. 

You must admit, it is a fine specimen. 

In Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, the street is lined with magnolias. 

Speaking of things vegetable, The Boarder is growing spring onions and these have shot well.

Returns update

I returned my mistakenly bought card holder today. $30 was returned to my bank account and I was given a card to the credit value of $10 to use in the future. So, all is good. 

Monday Mural

Along with Sami in Perth, I am participating in Monday Mural again.

This is a bit different for a mural. I wonder if it is unfinished. The front bumper looks odd. Note the black patches at the front of the rear mudguard. These were usually rubber and prevented the paintwork being chipped by stones flying up from the roadway. That appears to the Jaguar body ornament on the bonnet, so it's fair to assume the brand of car. Anyway, I like it.

Sunday Selections

I'm joining Elephant's Child and River for Sunday Selections, with my usual mixed bag of photos, all bar one mine.

Friends have recently visited South Africa and it's hard to believe it is now six years since we visited. This photo I took from Table Top Mountain looming over Cape Town as the mist swirled, hid a view, exposed another and swirled around the mount again. It was a steep climb to get up the six stairs to get into the chair life pod.

Vaccinations every morning. Just the best way to start your day.

Teeth extracted and stopped. I guess that means filled.

...carefully treated. The bottom line I can make out but not the one above. Looking at it more as a picture, I think it might be 'Constipation'. If it is, I am pleased it is treated carefully. 

I've taken a reasonable moon shot or two in the past. I don't know what I did but it had quite some effect.

These old W Class trams now only run the free City Circle tram route. They have been heavily renovated inside and out, and mechanically along with driver controls, so they are hardly original but they still look, ride and sound the same as they always did. 

No one sends cards anymore, except they do.

I gave this to niece Jo. She is rather fond of Rocky Horror Show. It's made of tin. I don't know where it came from. Ray must have obtained it at some point.

What had happened here? The old palm frond stubs had all been ripped out.

And lying below the tree. I suspect a yoof may have climbed the tree and did the damage. 

An illustration of very predictable human behaviour. 

Interesting artwork in a brand new part of the public Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Soccer player David Beckham does have a very fine watch.